Systems and methods for disinfecting a remote control using ultraviolet light

ABSTRACT

A remote control having an ultraviolet light emitting device for disinfecting the outer surfaces of the remote control is disclosed. In particular, the remote control may include an ultraviolet transmissive housing and internal ultraviolet emitting light emitting diodes. The ultraviolet transmissive housing allows the light from the internally mounted ultraviolet emitters to pass through the remote control&#39;s housing and kill bacteria, viruses, and other micro-organisms on the outer surface of the remote control by employing methods to automate safe and effective operations of ultraviolet light.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to using ultraviolet light todisinfect a remote control and methods for safely and effectively usingultraviolet light.

Description of the Related Art

Ultraviolet, or UV, light is used to kill bacteria, viruses, and othermicro-organisms. Exposure to ultraviolet light can harm people, butavailable devices and methods of using ultraviolet light to killbacteria, viruses, and other micro-organisms rely on active humaninteraction. For example, ultraviolet disinfecting wands are activatedby an operator and held or waved over the object the operator seeks todisinfect. The wands may be shielded to protect the user and, inparticular, the user's eyes, from the ultraviolet light, but stillrequire a user to hold the wand and be present to carry out thedisinfecting process. Some disinfecting apparatuses fully enclose theobject the operator seeks to disinfect and completely contain theultraviolet light used to disinfect the object, but such apparatusesrequire a person to take active steps to place the object in theapparatus.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One or more embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a remotecontrol having an ultraviolet light emitting device for disinfecting theouter surfaces of the remote control. In particular, the remote controlmay include an ultraviolet transmissive housing and internal ultravioletlight emitters. The ultraviolet transmissive housing allows the lightfrom the internally mounted ultraviolet light emitters to pass throughthe remote control's housing and kill the bacteria, viruses, and othermicro-organisms on the outer surface of the remote control.

In one embodiment, the remote control may also implement a method fordetermining whether it is safe to activate the ultraviolet light. Forexample, the remote control may include or be networked to a variety ofsensors and devices to aid in determining when or if a user is likely tobe in the same room or otherwise near the remote control. The remotecontrol may use a microphone to listen for voices, a light sensor todetect the lights in the room or the fluctuations of light coming from atelevision, motion sensors to determine whether someone is holding theremote control, or wireless or radiofrequency communication tocommunicate with other devices to determine whether a person is near theremote control.

In one embodiment, the remote control may communicate with a set-topbox, such as a satellite receiver, digital video recorder, or cablereceiver to determine whether a person is near the remote control. Theset-top box may include sensors and devices to aid in determining whenor if a user is likely to be in the same room or otherwise near theremote control. The set-top box may include a connection to an attachedtelevision and be able to determine whether the television is on basedon the status of that connection. The set-top box may also include or benetworked to a camera or motion sensor to determine whether a person isin the room with the set-top box.

In one embodiment, a remote control charging pad may include aninductive coil for transferring energy to the remote control forrecharging the remote control. The remote control charging pad may alsoinclude sensors for determining whether a user is near the remotecontrol, for determining the location and orientation of the remotecontrol on the charging pad, or for communicating with the remotecontrol or a set-top box to aid in determining whether a person is nearthe remote control and when to activate the charging pad ultravioletlight emitters to disinfect the remote control.

In one embodiment, a method for determining when to activate ultravioletlight emitters is disclosed. The method may include a remote controlreceiving information from one or more sensors or devices associatedwith a set-top box, a remote control, a smartphone, a home securitysystem, a home automation system, or other devices. The remote controlmay determine whether a user is likely to be away from the remotecontrol based on the received information and may activate ultravioletlight emitters if the user is determined to be away from the remotecontrol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elementsor acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawingsare not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of variouselements are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some of these elementsmay be enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility andunderstanding of the features.

FIG. 1 is a isometric view of a remote control according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the internal components of the remote control ofFIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway view of a charging pad according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a isometric view of an enclosed charging pad according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a system for disinfecting a remote controlaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedembodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures associated with devices, remotecontrols, charging devices, and set-top boxes have not been shown ordescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of theembodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as“comprises” and “comprising,” are to be construed in an open, inclusivesense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.”

References throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or“in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

The use of ordinals such as first, second and third does not necessarilyimply a ranked sense of order, but rather may only distinguish betweenmultiple instances of an act or structure.

The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are forconvenience only and do not limit the scope or meaning of theembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a remote control 100. In one embodiment, theremote control 100 is a self-disinfecting remote control. The remotecontrol 100 includes a housing 102. The housing 102 includes an outersurface 103, a top portion 104, and bottom portion 106. The top portion104 may be coupled to the bottom portion 106. Each of the top portion104 and bottom portion 106 may include side portions. The top portion104 may include apertures 109 through which control buttons 108 mayprotrude. When using the remote control 100, a person may hold or gripthe housing 102 and issue commands to other devices, such as atelevision 600, see FIG. 5, by pressing or otherwise interacting withthe buttons 108.

Remote controls are often communal devices. For example, during anygiven day the remote control 100 may be used to control a familytelevision by a parent in the morning to watch the weather report, achild in the afternoon after school, the parents again to watch theevening news and a football game, and even non-family members such as avisiting friend or a babysitter. Each person using the device maytransfer germs, viruses, bacteria, and other microbes from their handsto the remote control. Remote controls are also often used during orjust after a possible high-germ activity, for example, while eatingfood, just after coming in from outside, coughing into the person'shands, or the like. Further the remotes are often left on the floorwhere people have walked or dropped items, or family pets might getahold of them. Various germs, including viruses, bacteria, and othermicrobes are deposited on the outer surface 103 and buttons 108 of theremote control 100. A further problem is that the germs might entercracks in the housing, such as below a button or at the edge of thebattery case, down where conventional cleaning will not remove them.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, to kill contaminants, such as germs,viruses, bacteria, and other microbes, the remote control 100 includeswithin the housing 102 ultraviolet light emitters 142, 160, 161 that,when activated, emit ultraviolet light that can kill the contaminants.The remote control 100 may include one or more ultraviolet lightemitters of one or more different types.

The remote control 100 may include a light emitting diode (LED)ultraviolet light emitter 142. When activated, the LED ultraviolet lightemitter 142 emits ultraviolet light that disinfects the outer surface103 of the remote control 100. In one embodiment, the LED ultravioletlight emitter 142 is mounted in the inner cavity 101 of the remotecontrol 100 and emits light outward towards the housing 102 of theremote control 100. The typical polymer material used in making thehousing of a remote control and its buttons absorbs a significantportion, if not all, of the ultraviolet light strikes its surface.Therefore, in embodiments wherein the LED ultraviolet light emitter 142emits light from the inner cavity 101 out towards the housing 102 andouter surface 103 of the remote control 100, the housing 102 includesultraviolet transmissive material. The ultraviolet transmissive materialused in manufacturing the housing 102 may not transmit 100% of theultraviolet light emitted by the LED ultraviolet light emitter 142. Theultraviolet transmissive material from which the housing 102 is madeshould transmit enough UV light, taking into account, for example, thethickness of the housing 102, and the amount of ultraviolet lightemitted by the LED ultraviolet light emitter 142, that the outer surface103 of the remote control 100 receives sufficient ultraviolet light tokill or render inert the contaminants on the outer surface 103 of theremote control 100. Similarly, the material used to make the buttons 108may also be made from ultraviolet transmissive material.

In some embodiments, the remote control 100 may include an ultravioletlight emitter 160 coupled to one or more light pipes 163. The lightpipes 163 may be a type of fiber optic material that receivesultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light emitter 160 and directs itout to the outer surface 103 of the remote control 100. In someembodiments, the light pipes 163 may transmit ultraviolet light to orthrough apertures in the housing 102, such as aperture 164 and buttonapertures 109. In some embodiments, the ends of the light pipes 163 maydirect the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light emitter 160 ontothe outer surface 103 of the remote control 100; for example, the lightpipes 163 may protrude up through the button apertures 109 and then bendand direct the ultraviolet light back onto outer surface 103. In someembodiments, the end of the light pipes 163 may direct ultraviolet lightinto a lens or other device, such as a lens 165 that further directs theultraviolet light onto the outer surface 103 of the remote control 100.

In some embodiments, the remote control 100 may include an ultravioletlight emitting LED 161 configured to direct light into light guide 162.In some embodiments, the ultraviolet light emitting LED 161 may becoupled, affixed, or integrated with the light guide 162. In its mostbasic form, the edge of a light guide, such as light guide 162, receiveslight from a light source and then distributes the light over a surface.Some light guides use a combination of total internal refraction andimperfections within the light guide to distribute light over a area.The total internal refraction properties of the light guide aid inkeeping the light within the light guide while the imperfections, suchas surface ridges or grooves, act to change the direction of the lightand cause the light to leave the light guide and illuminate a surface.

The light guide 162 receives ultraviolet light at its center from theultraviolet light emitting LED 161 and distributes the light along aninner surface 105 of the housing 102 and also internal to the walls ofthe housing 102. The housing 102, being made from ultraviolettransmissive material, can transmit the ultraviolet light though thehousing 102 and to the outer surface 103, where it can killcontainments.

Although depicted as a separate structure in FIG. 2, in someembodiments, the light guide 162 can be integrated into the housing 102.In some embodiments, the housing 102 itself may be a light guide. Insuch embodiments, the housing 102 may receive light from an ultravioletlight emitter, such as ultraviolet light emitting LED 161, anddistribute the light though the housing 102 to the outer surface 103.

As discussed above, the remote control 100 may include sensors, devices,and other means for determining the presence or absence of people nearthe remote control 100.

The remote control 100 may include one or more light sensors 122. Thelight sensor 122 may be positioned within the inner cavity 101 of theremote control 100 and beneath a window 120 that transmits light fromoutside the remote control 100 to the light sensor 122. The light sensor122 is coupled to a controller 140. The light sensor 122 can transmitinformation related to the light in the environment surrounding theremote control 100.

In some embodiments, the light sensor 122 may be located on the outersurface 103 of the remote control 100 or otherwise located where it mayreceive or evaluate all possible light in the environment surroundingthe remote control 100. In addition, the remote control 100 may includelight sensors 122 in more than one location in the remote control 100.The remote control 100 may include light sensors 122 located andconfigured to measure light falling on one or more locations of the topportion 104, the bottom portion 106, or other areas of the remotecontrol 100.

The controller 140 receives information from the light sensor 122 andmay use that information in determining whether a person is near theremote control 100. For example, a brightly lit room may indicate that aperson is present in the room with the lights on. Therefore, thecontroller 140 may determine that the level or amount of light in theroom may indicate that a person is present. In some embodiments, theamount of light received in the light sensor may be low, yet a personmay still be present in the room. The light sensor 120 might besensitive to whether the light being sensed is from a fluorescentsource, an incandescent source, an LED, or an OLED display, such as theTV itself. Also, a person may turn the lights on and off, indicatingthat a human is near the remote. For example, a person may watchtelevision in a relatively dark room, but the light from the televisionmay cause fluctuations in the amount of light in the room. In such asituation, the controller 140 may evaluate the change in light levelreadings from the light sensor 122 over time and determine whether aperson is present in the room based on overall light levels thatfluctuate over time.

The remote control 100 can include one or more sound sensors, such as amicrophone 124. The microphone 124 may be positioned within the innercavity 101 of the remote control 100 and, for example, positionedbeneath an aperture in the housing 102 of the remote control 100 such asthe button apertures 109. The microphone 124 is coupled to thecontroller 140 and may transmit information related to the sound in theenvironment surrounding the remote control 100.

The microphone 124 measures the sound pressure levels in the environmentsurrounding the remote control 100, and the controller 140 receivesinformation from the microphone 124 and may use that information indetermining whether a person is near the remote control 100. Forexample, a loud room with high fluctuations in sound pressure levels mayindicate that a person is present in the room. Therefore, the controller140 may determine that the level or amount of sound in the roomindicates that a person is present. In some embodiments, the sound inthe environment surrounding the remote control may not be constant orhigh, yet a person may still be present in the room. For example, aperson may be sitting on a couch or lying in bed reading and may onlymake quiet noises every few minutes. In such a situation, the controller140 may monitor the sound levels over a period of time, for example,over two, five, ten, or fifteen minutes, and, based on the sound levelsover time, determine that a person is present in the room.

The remote control 100 can include one or more temperature sensors, suchas temperature sensor 126, which may be a thermometer. The temperaturesensor 126 may be positioned within the inner cavity 101 of the remotecontrol 100. The temperature sensor 126 may be positioned beneath anaperture in the housing 102 of the remote control 100, for example, thetemperature sensor 126 maybe located beneath the button apertures 109 ornear another aperture that facilitates measuring the temperature of theenvironment near the remote control 100. In some embodiments, thetemperature sensor 126 may be located on the outer surface 103 of theremote control 100 or integrated into the housing 102 of the remotecontrol 100.

The temperature sensor 126 is coupled to the controller 140. Thetemperature sensor 126 transmits information related to the temperatureof the remote control 100 or the environment surrounding the remotecontrol 100. The controller 140 receives information from thetemperature sensor 126 and may use that information in determiningwhether a person is near or holding the remote control 100. Thecontroller 140 may determine that a person is holding the remote control100 based on the temperature of a surface mounted temperature sensor126. For example, a surface mounted temperature sensor 126 may indicatea temperature above a predetermined threshold, such as above 80 degreesFahrenheit, and the controller 140 may determine a user is present whenthe temperature from the temperature sensor 126 exceeds an 80 degreeFahrenheit threshold. The temperature sensor also monitors forfluctuations in temperatures. If the temperature changes a few timeseach hour, as may happen if a person is holding the device, or the HVACof the home is active in the room in which the remote is located, thenthis indicates a high likelihood a person is present. But if there areno changes in temperature for a few hours at a time, this indicates thatno person is likely present.

In some embodiments, a high or low temperature may be indicate that auser is not near the remote control 100. For example, during coldweather months many people turn their thermostat set point down whenthey leave the house for work or when everyone in the house goes to bed.During such cold weather seasons the controller may determine that noperson is near the remote control when the ambient temperature dropsmore than a predetermined amount, such as three degrees below the dailyindoor high or below a 72 degree Fahrenheit threshold. As anotherexample, during warm weather months, many people turn their thermostatset point up when they leave the house. During such warm weather seasonsthe controller may determine that no person is near the remote controlwhen the temperature raises more than a predetermined amount, such asthree degrees above the daily indoor low or above a 78 degreesFahrenheit threshold.

The remote control 100 can include one or more motion sensors, such asan accelerometer 128 and a gyroscope 129. The motion sensors 128, 129may be positioned within the inner cavity 101 of the remote control 100or otherwise coupled to the housing of the remote control 100. Themotion sensors 128, 129 may measure acceleration or angular movement inone or more axes. In some embodiments, the motion sensors 128, 129measure acceleration or angular movement in three orthogonal axes.

The motion sensors 128, 129 are coupled to the controller 140. Themotion sensors 128, 129 transmit information related to the movements ofthe remote control 100. The controller 140 receives information from themotion sensors 128, 129 and may use that information in determiningwhether a person is near the remote control 100. For example, thecontroller 140 may determine that a person is holding the remote control100 based on the movement information received from the motion sensors128, 129. If the motion sensors 128, 129 indicated that the remotecontrol 100 is currently moving, then the controller 140 may determinethat a person is near to or holding the remote control 100. As anotherexample, the remote control 100 may be moving despite being held by aperson. In such situations, by using a multi-axis accelerometer 128, thecontroller can receive acceleration information which may indicate theposition of the remote control 100. If the position informationindicates that the remote control is lying flat, for example, as itwould on a table, then the controller 140 may determine that a person islikely not holding it, while if the acceleration information indicatesthat the remote control is at an inclined angle with respect to theacceleration due to gravity, then the controller 140 may determine thatthe remote control 100 is being held by a person.

In some embodiments, one of the motion sensors 128, 129 may include bothan accelerometer, such as a three-axis accelerometer, and a gyroscope,such as a three-axis gyroscope. Such a configuration may be called aninertial measurement unit or IMU. The IMU may send movement and positioninformation to the controller 140 for use in determining whether aperson is near the remote control 100.

The remote control 100 may include a sonar system. The sonar system mayinclude a transmitter, such as a sonar transmitter 125 and a receiver,such as the microphone 124. The sonar transmitter 125 may be positionedwithin the inner cavity 101 of the remote control 100 and behindapertures in the housing 102, on the outer surface 103 of the remotecontrol 100, or in another location, such as on a wall of a room.

The sonar transmitter 125 is coupled to the controller 140. The sonartransmitter 125 and microphone 124 work together to determine whether aperson is present. The sonar transmitter may transmit high frequencypulses or pings. These pulses bounce off of people and objects in theroom or near the remote control 100 and the microphone 124 receivesthese echoes and, based on the properties of the echoes, the remotecontrol 100 and controller 140 may determine whether or not a person isin the room or otherwise near the remote control 100.

The charging pads 200, 300 security system 636, set-top box 500, andother devices may include the sonar transmitter 125 and microphone 124to aid in determine the location and presence or absence of a person. Aswith the other sensors and devices, additional sonar transmitters 125and microphones 124 may help more accurately detect the location andpresence or absence of a person.

The remote control 100 may include a power system. The power system mayinclude one or more power inputs, such as power port 130 and inductioncharger 131. The power system may also include power storage, such as acapacitor, or a battery 132. The power system provides power to theremote control 100 and its components, for example, the controller 140;the wireless transceiver 150; the sonar transmitter 125; the sensors122, 124, 126, 128, 129; and the ultraviolet light emitters, such as theultraviolet light emitters 142, 160, 161.

The induction charger 131 transfers energy between a power source, suchas, the charging pad 200, and the remote control 100 through anelectromagnetic field. The power transferred from the power source maybe used to recharge or otherwise store energy in the battery 132, or topower the other components of the remote control 100. In someembodiments, the induction charger 131 may simultaneously charge thebattery 132 and provide power to the other components of the remotecontrol 100.

Similarly, the power port 130 may supply energy to recharge or otherwisestore in the battery 132, or to power the other components of the remotecontrol 100, either simultaneously or one at a time.

The controller 140 may receive information from the charging system. Theinformation may be as simple as receiving power to turn on the remotecontrol 100, but may also include information such as charging statusand whether the induction charger 131 or the power port 130 arereceiving power from a power source. The controller 140 may use theinformation from the charging system to aid in determining whether aperson is near the remote control 100. For example, the remote control100 is typically used as a wireless device and freely moved aroundduring use. Therefore, when the remote control 100 is receiving powerthrough the power port 130, the remote control 100 is likely attached toa power adapter that is plugged into the wall and may not be in use orlocated near a person, and when the remote control 100 is receivingpower through the induction charger 131, the remote control 100 islikely positioned on an induction charger power source and may not be inuse or located near a person.

The remote control 100 may include a wireless communication systemincluding, but not limited to, an infrared (IR) transceiver 154, one ormore wireless transceivers 150, and one or more wireless antennas 152.The wireless communication system is configured to transmit and receivewireless signals. The wireless signals are generally radio signals, suchas RF4CE, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, but can also be infrared signals or anyother wireless signal.

The wireless communication system may monitor wireless communicationsnear the remote control 100 or communicate with other devices near theremote control 100.

The remote control 100 may actively or passively monitor wirelesscommunication traffic to aid in determining whether a user is near theremote control 100. For example, if the IR transceiver 154 is monitoringIR signals near the remote control 100 and receives an IR signal, evenone not directed to the remote control 100, the IR transceiver may sendinformation to the controller 140 that indicates that an IR signal wasreceived. The controller 140 may use this information in determiningwhether a person is near the remote control 100, for example, detectingan IR signal may be indicative of a person using a second remote controlin the same room as the remote control 100.

Similarly, the wireless transceiver 150 may actively or passivelymonitor wireless traffic, for example, based on the received Wi-Fisignal strength, such as Wi-Fi traffic on nearby wireless area networksto help determine whether a person is near the remote control 100. Forexample, if the wireless transceiver 150 monitors the Wi-Fi traffic anddetermines that an access point is nearby, for example by receiving thebroadcast SSID of the access point, but there is no other networktraffic going to or coming from that access point, the controller 140may determine that it is likely that no people are in the area. Forexample, most people carry a smartphone with them everywhere and theirsmartphone may automatically connect to the access point when they arehome and regularly transmit data over the Wi-Fi network to check email,social networks, and for other reasons, thus if no network traffic orlow signal strength is detected, the person's smartphone, and thereforethe person, are likely not near the remote control. Alternatively, ifthe wireless transceiver 150 detects high signal strength, then theperson is in proximity of the remote control.

The remote control 100 may also communicate with other devices thoughthe wireless communication system. In some embodiments, the remotecontrol 100 may communicate with other devices to send commands to them,such as to turn on a television, change a channel, or record a show,and, as discussed in more detail later, may also communicate with otherdevices to receive information that aids in determining whether a personis near the remote control 100.

The controller 140 of the remote control 100 may include a processor,memories, input/output ports, and other components commonly used incomputers or controllers. The controller 140 may also include programsfor carrying out the methods and processes disclosed herein, including,but not limited to, the communication with the sensors 122, 124, 126,128, 129, the sonar transmitter 125, the ultraviolet light emitters 142,160, 161, power systems, and a wireless communication system,determining whether a person is near or in the same room as the remotecontrol 100, activating or turning on the ultraviolet light emitters142, 160, 161, and communicating with other devices, for example,set-top boxes, security systems, thermostats, smart appliances, or thelike.

By way of example, the controller 140 may use a number of differentsources of information to determine that a person is not likely near theremote control 100. In some embodiments, the controller 140 may receivetemperature information from a surface mounted temperature sensor 126indicating that the surface temperature of the remote control is below athreshold of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, sound pressure level informationfrom the microphone indicating that the ambient noise in the room isbelow a threshold of 25 dB, light sensor information indicating that theluminous flux in the room is steady and below a threshold of 5 lux, andinformation over the wireless network from a set-top box indicating thatthe television is turned off.

Further sensors include time sensors, both time of day and time sincelast moved, exposed to high light, high sound, etc. In the first, timeof day, the remote can obtain the time of day from its own internalclock. Alternatively, the remote can obtain the time of day bycommunication with the set-top box. Television is rarely watched at 2:00a.m. or 3:00 a.m. The remote can therefore use this as one factor todetermine that a person is not present.

In addition to tracking the time of day, the remote can also store ahistory of the time of day in which is has been used for the lastseveral months. Generally, use in a household follows a predictablepattern with respect to a time of day. For example, young children maywatch television for a few moments each morning before going to schoolor the parents may check the weather before the start of the day. Then,the television remote may remain idle for several hours, even to thelunch hour, or until children return from school or the parents returnfrom work. After a period of several days or weeks, the remote can storea history of the time of day when it is not used, and can use the timeof day, as well as the history of no use for several weeks during aparticular time of day, as a further data point that a person is notlikely adjacent to the remote.

When determining whether the remote has been used at a particular timeof day, the most reliable indication will be whether a button on theremote has been pressed within a certain time period. For example, whena remote is first used, a button is pressed to turn on the television,and in addition, the volume will likely be adjusted. When the remote isno longer going to be used, the OFF button will be used to turn thetelevision off. These are steps which can be measured and stored in thecontroller 140 as an indication that a person was present during thattime period, since it can be assumed that only a person would use theremote to turn the television on and off or change the volume.Accordingly, the times of day in which no button has been pressed forlong periods of time can be stored in the controller 140, and this canbe used as a data point for an indication that a user was not presentduring that time. If each day has large blocks of time during which theremote has not been used, for example during the midday or at nighttimebetween the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., after collecting the datafor several weeks, this can provide an indication that the likelihood ofuse during these time periods is extremely low. On the other hand, insome households, the viewing habits may be to watch TV between 2:00 a.m.and 4:00 a.m., for example if the homeowners work an odd shift, or someother reason. Accordingly, by accumulating a use history and learning atime of day when the remote is not in use for several hours at a time,which extends for several weeks or months, the controller 140 can usethis as a data point, either alone or in combination with the other dataas described herein to determine that no person is present, and thusperform the UV cleaning during these time periods.

In addition to a time of day sensor and data point, the controller 140may include a timer for each of the other sensors or devices which havebeen described herein. For example, the time since the accelerometer 128or the gyroscope 129 have been activated can be determined, and after along time has passed with no activation, this is another data point toindicate that a person is not likely adjacent to the remote. Similarly,the changes over time from the other sensors, such as temperaturechanges, sound changes, and other changes over time can be monitored,and when one of the sensors indicates no change for long periods oftime, this can be other data points that a person is not likely present.Thus, not only is low noise or low light one of the indications that aperson is not present, but the time which has passed since the noisechanged or the light changed, or the time over which the light level andnoise level has been maintained below a certain value, are also datapoints which can be used to determine that a person is likely notpresent.

Based on this information, the remote control may determine that all thesensors and devices have each sent information to the controller 140that indicates that a person is not near the remote control 100. Forexample, a surface temperature of 68 degrees may indicate that theremote control 100 is not being held, the 25 dB sound level indicatesthat no person is in talking or moving around near the remote control100, the light level below 5 lux indicates that the lights in the roomare off and no television is on, and the set-top box providescorresponding information that the television is off. Based on this datathe remote may determine that no person is near the remote control 100and it may be safe to activate the ultraviolet emitters 142, 160, 161 todisinfect the remote control 100. In some embodiments, less than all ofthe information may indicate that no people are in the room and thecontroller 140 may still activate the ultraviolet light emitters 142,160, 161.

Cleaning and disinfecting the remote control 100 with ultraviolet lightcan take a few seconds to several minutes. Before activating theultraviolet lights, the remote control 100 may determine, for example,based on past experience, the likelihood that a person will enter theroom during the cleaning. For example, if the remote control 100determines that no person is present in the room at 7:55 PM, but knowsthe cleaning cycle takes five minutes, and a user typically enters theroom just before 8:00 PM to start watching a television show, the remotecontrol 100 may not activate the ultraviolet emitters because it may notbe able to finish the cleaning cycle before a person enters the room. Insome embodiments, the remote control 100 may initiate a shorter cleaningcycle when it expects a person to enter a room before completion of afull cleaning cycle.

If the remote control 100 activates the ultraviolet emitters to start acleaning cycle, but then detects a person entering the room, then theremote control 100 may immediately deactivate the ultraviolet emittersto prevent accidental exposure to the person that entered the room.

In addition, the remote control 100 may use sensors to determine whethera user has a cold or infection. For example, the remote control 100 mayuse the microphone 124 to detect coughing, sneezing, or sniffling, thetemperature sensors 126 to detect an elevated temperature of the userholding the remote control 100, or the cameras 523, 623 to look forvisual indications that a user is sick.

In some embodiments, the set-top box 500 may use facial recognition tofind and recognize faces in images from the camera 523 in the set-topbox 500. The set-top box 500 may also analyze the color tone of aperson's skin to aid in determining whether a person is sick or not. Forexample, a paler than normal skin tone or a more red then normal nosemay indicate that the person has a cold or is sick.

If the remote control 100 determines that a user is sick the remotecontrol 100 may prioritize cleaning. For example, if the remote control100 determines that a sick user has ceased using the remote control 100and left the room, the remote control 100 may activate the ultravioletemitters to start disinfecting the remote control 100, even when theremote control 100 does not expect to have a long time window duringwhich to clean the remote control 100.

If a sick user stops using the remote control 100 or leaves the room andanother user is detected in the room or using the remote control 100,the remote control 100 may prompt the healthy user to allow the remotecontrol 100 to active the ultraviolet emitters to clean the remotecontrol 100. For example, the remote control 100 may interact with theset-top box 500 or television 600 to display a message to the user andconfirm the cleaning. In some embodiments, the healthy user mayauthorize the cleaning and insert the remote control 100 into anenclosed charging pad, such as the enclosed charging pad 300, or theuser may leave the room for several minutes during the cleaning.

In some embodiments, the remote control 100 may be cleaned on a regularcycle, such as once a week, every two or three days, or more often,depending on how the remote control 100 is used. For example, when theremote control 100 is used by only one healthy person, the remotecontrol 100 may be cleaned once a week, but when used by a large groupof people the remote control 100 may be cleaned once a day, or even moreoften.

The remote control 100 may also monitor or record the parts of theremote control 100 that a user interacts with and may record thisinformation or may transmit this information to the set-top box 500. Forexample, the remote control 100 may record that a user may onlyinteracts with the number buttons or the pause and play buttons ormainly holds a certain portion of the housing of the remote control 100.In some embodiments, only ultraviolet light emitters associated with theparts of the remote control 100 that the user has interacted with or hasinteracted with the most are activated during cleaning. By onlyactivating certain ultraviolet light emitters, less energy is used andbatter power is conserved.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a charging pad 200 in partialcutaway is shown. The charging pad 200 includes a housing 202 and a topsurface 204. The top surface 204 is configured to receive a handhelddevice, such as a remote control (e.g., remote control 100), for exampleby placing the remote control 100 on top of the top surface 204.

The charging pad 200 includes sensors 222, 224 coupled to a controller240. The light sensor 222 may have a structure and functionality similarto the light sensor 122 discussed above with reference to the remotecontrol 100 in FIG. 1, for example, the light sensor 222 may be locatedbeneath a window 220. Likewise, the microphone 224, the controller 240,and the wireless system, including wireless transceiver 250 and antenna252, may also have a similar structure and functionality as the systemsand parts discussed above with respect to the remote control in FIG. 1.

The charging pad 200 may include a charging system. The charging systemcan include an inductive charger 231 and a power port 230. The powerport receives energy from outside the charging pad 200 and provides itto the rest of the charging pad 200. The inductive charger 231 receivesenergy from the power port 230 and provides the energy to the remotecontrol 100 through an electromagnetic field.

The charging pad may also include one or more proximity sensors, forexample proximity sensors 270. The proximity sensors 270 are arranged ina two dimensional array such that they may aid in determining thelocation and orientation of the remote control 100 when it is placed onthe charging pad 200. For example, the controller 240 may receiveproximity information from the each of the proximity sensors 270 and maydetermine the location and orientation of remote control 100 on thecharging pad 200 based on that information. Although depicted as havingsix proximity sensors 270, the charging pad 200 may include more or lessproximity sensors 270.

The charging pad also includes the controller 240 that may send orreceive information from the remote control 100 or other device, such asa set-top box, to aid in determining whether a person is likely near thecharging pad 200 or remote control 100. In some embodiments, thecharging pad 200 may send information to the remote control 100 whichthe remote control 100 then uses in determining whether or not to activethe ultraviolet light emitters 142, 160, 161. In some embodiments, thecharging pad 200 receives information from the remote control 100 todetermine whether a person is near the charging pad 200 and whether toactivate the ultraviolet emitters 262.

The ultraviolet emitters 262 are arranged in an ultraviolet emitterarray 260 and the controller 240 may control the activation of theultraviolet emitters 262 in the array 260. The array 260 can includeultraviolet LEDs distributed along the length and width of the topsurface 204 of the charging pad 200. In some embodiments, the LEDs maybe coupled to the top surface 204. In some embodiments, the top surface204 may be made from ultraviolet light transmissive material and theLEDs may be positioned below the top surface 204 and within the housing202. The controller 240 activates the ultraviolet emitters in the array260 when the controller 240 determines that a remote control 100 isplaced on the charging pad 200 and that a person is likely not near thecharging pad 200. Although depicted as having an array of ultravioletemitters 262 in FIG. 3, in addition to or in place of the ultravioletemitters 262, the charging pad 200 may use light pipes or light guidesto distribute the ultraviolet light and disinfect the surface of aremote control 100.

Each of the ultraviolet emitters 262 may be associated with one or moreproximity sensors 270, in particular, the ultraviolet light emitters 262may be associated with a nearest one or more of the proximity sensors270. In some embodiments, when the controller 240 activates theultraviolet light emitters 262, the controller 240 only activates theultraviolet light emitters 262 associated with proximity sensors 270that indicate they are near an object, such as the remote control 100.

In some embodiments, the charging pad 200 may determine the location andorientation of the remote control 100 on the charging pad 200 and mayactivate the ultraviolet emitters 262 in close proximity to the remotecontrol 100 or directly beneath the remote control 100. In this way, thecharging pad 200 may conserve energy and reduce the amount of strayultraviolet light.

In some embodiments, the charging pad 200 may receive information orcommands from another device, such as the remote control 100 or aset-top box, that indicate that no people are near the charging pad 200.Based on this information, the charging pad 200 will activate theultraviolet emitters.

Referring to FIG. 4, an embodiment of an enclosed charging pad 300 isdepicted. The enclosed charging pad 300 may have all of the features ofthe charging pad 200 discussed above. In addition to those features, thecharging pad 300 may include means for shielding ultraviolet light andaiding in reducing the amount of ultraviolet light that escapes from theshielded charging pad 300.

The housing 302 of the shielded charging pad 300 may include a base 304with a power port 330 and one or more sidewalls 305, 307, 309. Thesidewalls 305, 309 extend from opposing sides of the base 304 of theshielded charging pad 300. In some embodiments of the charging pad 300,the sidewalls 305, 309 extend outward from the base 304 and curve upwardto form a side portion, for example side portion 311 of sidewall 305.The sidewalls 305, 309 may continue to curve upward and inward to form atop or roof portion, for example the roof portion 308 of sidewall 309and the roof portion 313 of sidewall 305. The roof portion 308 mayextend over only a portion of the base 304, as shown in FIG. 4, or theroof portion 308 may extend over the entire base 304 and, for example,join the first sidewall 305 with the second sidewall 309. In someembodiments, the roof portions 308, 313 may not extend over the base 304or may be omitted altogether.

The shielded charging pad 300 may also include a third sidewall or endwall, for example, a sidewall 307. The sidewall 307 extends outward fromthe base 304 and curves upward to form a side portion, and continues tocurve upward and inward to form a top or roof portion. As shown in FIG.4, the sidewall 307 may join with the first and second sidewalls 305,309 to form a continuous structure including the three sidewalls 305,307, 309. In some embodiments, the sidewall 307 may not join with thefirst or second sidewalls 305, 309.

The sidewalls 305, 307, 309 may be opaque to ultraviolet light or mayhave an outer surface 306 that is opaque to ultraviolet light. The outersurface 306 may be opposite an inner surface 310. The inner surface 310faces the base 304 of the shielded charging pad 300.

As discussed above with reference to the charging pad 200, the housing302 of the shielded charging pad 300 may include ultraviolet lightemitters. The ultraviolet light emitters may be located within the base304 and oriented to emit ultraviolet light upward out of the base andtowards an item, such as a remote control 100 that may be positioned onthe base 304. Ultraviolet light emitted from the base 304 of theshielded charging pad 300 may have a limited disinfecting capabilitieswith respect to some surfaces of the remote control 100 because theultraviolet light emitted from the base 304 may strike the surfaces ofthe remote control 100 facing the base, such as the bottom portion 106,but not the other surfaces of the remote control 100, for example thetop portion 104 of the remote control 100 facing away from the base 304.To more effectively disinfect the remote control 100, ultraviolet lightemitters may be positioned in the sidewalls 305, 307, 309 and the roofportion 308 such that they emit ultraviolet light that may disinfect thesides and top portion 104 of the remote control 100.

FIG. 5 discloses a system 400 for disinfecting a remote control 100. Thesystem 400 includes a set-top box 500 with a housing 502 surrounding aninner cavity 501. The set-top box 500 includes sensors 522, 524 coupledto a controller 540. The light sensor 522 may have a structure andfunctionality similar to the light sensor 122 discussed above withreference to the remote control 100 in FIG. 1, for example the lightsensor 522 may be located beneath a window, not shown, in the housing502 of the set-top box 500. Likewise, the microphone 524, the controller540, and the wireless system, including wireless transceiver 550 andantenna 552, may also have a similar structure and functionality as thesystems and parts discussed above with respect to the remote control inFIG. 1.

The set-top box 500 may also include a camera 523. The camera 523 may bepositioned in or on the set-top box 500 and oriented such that it pointstowards the space near the set-top box 500, for example, the camera 523may be oriented such that is has a view of the room in which the camera523 is placed and, for example, a view of a couch in the room. Thecamera 523 can be either wired or wirelessly coupled to the controller540. The camera 523 can transmit information related to the environmentnear the camera 523. For example, the camera 523 can transmit images tothe controller 540 with so-called machine vision capabilities todetermine whether people are present in the images.

The set-top box 500 may also include a motion detector 521. Unlike themotion sensors 128, 129 that sense the movements of the remote control100 in which they are mounted, the motion detector 521 detects movementsof people or objects within the field of view of the motion detector521, through for example, detecting changes in the level of inferredlight, measurement of Doppler shifts in emitted microwave or ultrasonicwaves, or other methods. The motion detector 521 may be similar to themotion detectors found in motion activated lights or motion detectors inhome or office security systems.

The motion detector 521 can be either wired or wirelessly coupled to thecontroller 540. The controller 540 receives information from the motiondetector 521 and may use that information in determining whether aperson is near the remote control 100 or set-top box 500. For example,the controller 540 may determine that a person is near the set-top box500 based on receiving motion information from the motion detector 521that indicates current movement in the room. The controller 540 maydetermine that a person is not in the room based on receivinginformation from the motion detector 521 that indicates that no movementhas occurred in the room over a period of time, such as 30 or 60minutes.

The set-top box 500 may also include a clock 527 that keeps track of thedate and time. The controller 540 may use the date and time from theclock 527 to aid in determining whether a person is near the remotecontrol 100 or charging pad 200. For example, a person is more likely tobe asleep in a bedroom at 3:00 AM than in the living room watchingtelevision; therefore, it is likely to be safer to activate ultravioletemitters to disinfect a remote control 100 that is in a living room at3:00 AM than to activate ultraviolet emitters to disinfect a remotecontrol 100 in a bedroom at 3:00 AM.

The set-top box 500 may also include a media port, such as an HDMI port595, connected to a television 600. An HDMI cable 620 transmits messagesand information between the television 600 and the set-top box 500. Theinformation transmitted between the television 600 and the set-top box500 can include a power signal from the television 600 informing theset-top box that the television 600 is turned on. The set-top box 500and the controller 540 may use this information to aid in determiningwhether a person is near the remote control 100 or charging pad 200.

The set-top box 500 may also store information 545 related to theviewing habits of the people that use the remote control 100. Theset-top box 500 may monitor viewing habits of people who use thetelevision, the network traffic near the set-top box 500 or remotecontrol 100, information from the motion detector 521, and otheractivities and may use that information to predict when it may beappropriate to activate ultraviolet emitters to disinfect the remotecontrol 100.

Many people in the household can use the remote control 100 andtherefore, to help prevent the spread of containments from one person toanother, the system 400 may determine when the remote control 100 islikely to change users. For example, a child might typically use theremote control 100 in the morning and afternoon while an adult is likelyto use the remote control 100 in the late evening. The system 400 maymake determination with respect to who is using or likely to use theremote control 100 based on the content of the media watched on thetelevision, e.g., cartoons and teen programing in the morning andafternoon, before 8:00 PM and crime dramas in the evening, after 9:00PM. The remote control 100 may also observe that the remote control 100is rarely used between 8:00 PM and 8:20 PM, which may coincide withputting the child to bed.

If the remote control 100 observes such behavior, it may proactivelyactivate the ultraviolet emitters to disinfect the remote control 100after the remote control 100 is still for a relatively short period oftime, for example, after five minutes. On the other hand, if the system400 determines that a user nearly always watches a particular televisionshow between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on Wednesday nights, but not the othernights of the week, the system may not activate the ultraviolet emittersafter only five minutes of inactivity on Wednesday nights between 8:00PM and 9:00 PM because it is likely the user may walk into the room tobegin watching the particular television show.

The system 400 may use other devices and systems to aid in determiningwhen people are not present in the room with the remote control 100 andwhen to activate the ultraviolet emitters.

The system 400 may include a thermostat 634. The thermostat 634 may beconnected to a network or the internet through, for example, a wirelessaccess point 630. The thermostat 634 may include smart features such asmotion sensors and other devices and logic to determine when a user ispresent and when they are away. The thermostat 634 may also includetemperature set points to control the temperature based on the time andday. The system 400 may use the temperature set point, motion, and otherinformation to determine when a person is likely not near the remotecontrol 100 and when to activate the ultraviolet emitters.

The system 400 may include a phone 640. The phone 640 may be connectedto a network or the internet through, for example, a wireless accesspoint 630. The phone 640 may also include Bluetooth or Wi-Fi directcommunication capabilities that may act as proximity detectors. Forexample, the wireless transceiver 550 in the set-top box 500 may alsoinclude Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct communication capabilities so thatwhen the phone 640 is within range of wireless transceiver 550 thesystem 400 may detect such proximity and determine that a person islocated near the remote control 100 or charging pad 200 and to notactivate the ultraviolet emitters. Additionally, the phone 640 mayinclude a GPS receiver or other means of determining the phone's 640location. The phone 640 may communicate its location, based oninformation from the GPS receiver, to the system 400 for use indetermining when to activate the ultraviolet emitters.

The system 400 may include an alarm system 636. The alarm system 636 mayinclude a motion detector, electronic door locks, a key pad for userinput, and other devices a person of skill in the art would understandas associated with an alarm system. The alarm system 636 may also beconnected in electronic communication with the system 400 and theset-top box 500, in particular. The system can use information from thealarm system 636 to determine whether a person is near ultravioletemitters. For example, motion sensors placed in various rooms in thehouse can tell the system 400 which rooms in the house contain people,the electronic door locks can inform that a person has arrived at thehouse, and the keypad can inform the system 400 when the alarm system isactivated in an away mode or sleep mode.

The system 400 may also include a game console 610 which may alsoinclude an IR emitter 614, an IR receiver 613, and a camera 623. Thecamera 623 may have functionality similar to that of the camera 523associated with the set-top box 500. The IR emitter 614 and IR receiver613 can function as motion detectors and, in more sophisticatedembodiments, track the movement of people within the field of view ofthe IR emitter 614 and IR receiver 613. The game console 610 can sendthis information to other devices in the system 400 that can use theinformation to determine whether a person is near and when to activatethe ultraviolet emitters.

Cameras, such as the camera 523 associated with the set-top box 500, orthe camera 623 associated with the game console can also detect thepresence of specific people, for example through facial recognition orby the shape or other attributes of the body. The system 400 may storeuser profiles as part of the information 545 stored on the set-top box.The profiles may include the viewing habits and location habits of thevarious users of the remote control 100 and may be used to predict thetime during which a person is likely to be away from the remote control100.

In addition to using a video camera to detect who is present, the system400 may also detect the presence of particular people based on voicerecognition using a microphone or detection of particular mobile devicesassociated with particular people, such as a user's smartphone 640 orother devices. The system may update or load user profiles based on thepresence or absence of a particular person at particular times.

The system 400 may also include a wireless access point 630. Thewireless access point 630 can connect the components, such as thedevices and sensors that are associated with the system 400, togetherand facilitate the transfer of information between the components. Thesystem 400 may also include a wired network 632 that can connect thedevices and sensors together.

In addition to connecting the components of the system 400 together, theaccess point 630 and wired network 632 may act as sensors for thesystem. For example, they can send information regarding the devicesconnected to the network and the traffic on the network to the set-topbox 500 or remote control 100. The system 400 can use the networkinformation to aid in determining whether a person is near the remotecontrol 100, the charging pad 200, or the ultraviolet emitters.

The system 400 may also include other connected devices 638. A person ofskill in the art would understand that the system 400 can use any of amyriad of other devices to determine the presence of a person andwhether to activate the ultraviolet emitters. For example, key fobs forcars can include proximity sensors, watches and phones may include nearfield communication capabilities, activity trackers may communicate overwireless networks, and sensors and locks on doors, vehicle tracking andlocation systems, and other devices can monitor and report on thelocation of people and objects that the system 400 can use to determinethe presence of a person and whether to activate the ultravioletemitters.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent applicationpublications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patentapplications and non-patent publications referred to in thisspecification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of theembodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of thevarious patents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1. A method of determining when to activate an ultraviolet lightemitter, the method comprising: transmitting sound waves from a sonartransmitter; receiving sound pressure level information from amicrophone; determining whether the sound pressure level informationindicates a location of a person is not near the ultraviolet lightemitter; and in response to determining that the location of the personis not near the ultraviolet light emitter, activating the ultravioletlight emitter.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the determiningwhether the sound pressure level information indicates the location ofthe person is not near the ultraviolet light emitter includesdetermining that a sound pressure level detected by the microphone thatis greater than a threshold sound pressure level has not been detectedby the microphone during a predetermined period of time.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein: the transmitting sound waves from the sonartransmitter includes transmitting sound waves from a plurality of sonartransmitters.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivinginformation indicating a learned schedule of at least one person, theperson is not near the ultraviolet light emitter includes determiningwhether the information indicates the location of the person is not nearthe ultraviolet light emitter based on the information indicating thelearned schedule of the at least one person.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: positioning the sonar transmitter within an innercavity of a remote control device; positioning the microphone within theinner cavity of the remote control device; and positioning theultraviolet light emitter within the inner cavity of the remote controldevice.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: coupling a lightpipe to the ultraviolet light emitter; and directing ultraviolet lightfrom the ultraviolet light emitter to an outer surface of housing viathe light pipe.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providinga light guide that receives ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet lightemitter; and distributing the ultraviolet light along an inner surfaceof a housing via the light guide.
 8. A remote control device,comprising: an ultraviolet light emitter; at least one sonar transmitterwhich, in operation, transmits sound waves; a microphone; and acontroller which, in operation, receives sound pressure levelinformation from the microphone, determines whether the sound pressurelevel information indicates a location of a person is not near theultraviolet light emitter, and in response to determining that thelocation of the person is not near the ultraviolet light emitter,activates the ultraviolet light emitter.
 9. The remote control device ofclaim 8, wherein: the controller, in operation, determines whether thesound pressure level information indicates the location of the person isnot near the ultraviolet light emitter by determining that a soundpressure level detected by the microphone that is greater than athreshold sound pressure level has not been detected by the microphoneduring a predetermined period of time.
 10. The remote control device ofclaim 8, wherein: the at least one sonar transmitter includes aplurality of sonar transmitters, which, in operation, transmits soundwaves.
 11. The remote control device of claim 8, further comprising: areceiver which, in operation, receives information indicating a learnedschedule of at least one person, wherein the controller, in operation,determines whether the information indicates the location of the personis not near the ultraviolet light emitter based on the informationindicating the learned schedule of the at least one person.
 12. Theremote control device of claim 8, further comprising: an inner cavity inwhich the sonar transmitter, the microphone, and the ultraviolet lightemitter are disposed.
 13. The remote control device of claim 8, furthercomprising: a housing in which the ultraviolet light emitter isdisposed; and a light pipe coupled to the ultraviolet light emitter,wherein the light pipe directs ultraviolet light from the ultravioletlight emitter to an outer surface of the housing.
 14. The remote controldevice of claim 8, further comprising: a housing in which theultraviolet light emitter is disposed; and a light guide that receivesultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light emitter and distributes theultraviolet light along an inner surface of the housing.
 15. A system,comprising: a remote control device that includes an ultraviolet light;and a set-top box device that includes at least one sonar transmitter, amicrophone, and a controller which, in operation, receives soundpressure level information from the microphone, determines whether thesound pressure level information indicates a location of a person is notnear the ultraviolet light emitter of the remote control device, and inresponse to determining that the location of the person is not near theultraviolet light emitter, activates the ultraviolet light emitter ofthe remote control device.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein: thecontroller, in operation, determines whether the sound pressure levelinformation indicates the location of the person is not near theultraviolet light emitter of the remote control device by determiningthat a sound pressure level detected by the microphone that is greaterthan a threshold sound pressure level has not been detected by themicrophone during a predetermined period of time.
 17. The system ofclaim 15, wherein: the at least one sonar transmitter include aplurality of sonar transmitters, which, in operation, transmits soundwaves.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein: the set-top box deviceincludes a receiver which, in operation, receives information indicatinga learned schedule of at least one person, wherein the controller, inoperation, determines whether the information indicates the location ofthe person is not near the ultraviolet light emitter of the remotecontrol device based on the information indicating the learned scheduleof the at least one person.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein theremote control device further comprises: a housing in which theultraviolet light emitter is disposed; and a light pipe coupled to theultraviolet light emitter, wherein the light pipe directs ultravioletlight from the ultraviolet light emitter to an outer surface of thehousing.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote control devicefurther comprises: a housing in which the ultraviolet light emitter isdisposed; and a light guide that receives ultraviolet light from theultraviolet light emitter and distributes the ultraviolet light along aninner surface of the housing.